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by Graham A. Thomas.
Hardback (6.5×9.5 inches). 228 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: And the Capture of the Channel Ports
I’ve reviewed a few books about the German attack on Dunkirk (France) in 1940, but here’s one on the reverse: The Allied attacks on Dunkirk and other ports on the English Channel. To wit: Le Havre, Cap Gris Nez (technically more a fort than a port), Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk.
Note that the first 50 pages or so cover D-Day, capturing Caen, and advancing up the coast. The actual attacks on the ports starts after that.
Of the group, Dunkirk successfully held out through the end of the war in large part because Monty ordered it screened as the British and Canadian forces headed for Antwerp (Belgium). The others were captured with various speed, although the ports were wrecked and mostly useless for supplying the Allied armies.
Two chapters contain period reports of the 1st Czech Independent Armored Brigade and the 7th Royal Tank Regiment fighting around Dunkirk. I suppose separating out these units was important, but I would have preferred their exploits to be included in the main narrative. But that’s just me.
A minor typo: “by attacking a night” (p23) reads better with “at night.”
The book contains 31 black and white photos and six black and white maps.
The various operations are all well recapped and analyzed, with movements, attacks, counter-attacks, and surrenders offering insight into the campaign to secure the Channel ports. You can scour the text to pull info for some tabletop scenarios, although the maps could be more detailed. Nicely done.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
